and something’s missing
mysteriously
removed
from the landscape
of anyone's garden
where have the mattresses gone?
in the absence of
familiar garden features
their past presence
demarcated
in the shading of concrete
we decided to position our deckchairs
in the space created
by one removed
has someone been clearing the site ?
so we took wander
to see
stone filled milk cartons – still there
Dick Whittington style package – still there
general litter – still there, everywhere
and the shoe – still there
so we returned to our deckchairs
to ponder
(and smile for the camera)
who would take the mattresses and why?
no idea ...
but it got us thinking further
about our time in anyone’s garden - fast drawing to neigh on a year
although we’ve sat here
on a regular basis
sticking out like sore thumbs
in a landscape ignored by many
yet passed through by numerous
very few people have entered this space or engaged with us
having stuck out like a sore thumb
numerous times in the past
in various locations
not too dissimilar to this
(in other words, un-loved and maligned urban environments)
what is it about either
this space
or
this community
or us
that deters interaction?
what makes this space different from the many we have scrutinised?
what makes this space different is
the sheer amount of litter and man-made detritus
dumped
what makes the community different
is that most
are not casually wandering through the space
but
are on a beeline - a direct route to a university building
students or lecturers with (apparently) little time to spare or to be distracted
what makes our time in anyone's garden different from the other places we have probed is:
our time here has been passive
we have observed
we have listened
we had sniffed
we have reflected
our passivity has been a new way for us to interact with an environment
purely observation ethnography
as opposed to
doing
acting
creative interventions
and conversation pieces
through a non-active process we have learned much about the space, and much about ourselves: our perceptions of a place as well as a spectrum of aesthetic appreciation
we can only guess what other’s perceptions may be
and our guess is
that people are either disinterested or deterred
for us, anyone's garden has great appeal
for a few, anyone’s garden has some appeal
but
what could we do in anyone's garden that would make it more appealing for many others - without tinkering about with, or disturbing, the nature within?
if spaces such as anyone’s garden are under-appreciated they will be under constant threat of redevelopment or reclamation, both of which destroy naturally emerged ecosystems.
In addition to valuing spaces like anyone’s garden for the nature content and associated ecosystem services, we would like the university staff, students, and local residents to recognize anyone’s garden for the biodiverse and unique green space that it is; and utilize it as such
We have begun to ask ourselves:
what would happen if we became active in this space?
what would happen if the space were cleared of all the rubbish?
what would happen if anyone's garden were clean?
what would happen if there were more than two places to sit?
if we actively cleaned this space, as a performative happening, would this encourage people to approach us and ask what we're doing?
perhaps an active intervention on the site will inspire more passers-by to engage with us and the site: enabling rich conversations about urban nature, brownfield sites, ecological art practice, and public ‘gardens’.
we concluded that we would like to sit – as we are – until a year is out: February 2012
and then
begin to investigate whether it is possible to transform this space into an appreciated brownfield garden; sticking to our gardening principles and retaining the vegetation that makes it an interesting and vibrant habitat – in other words: all of it, inclusive of ‘weeds’ and organic debris.
If access could be improved through removing barriers to access – litter, garbage, refuse – could we create a garden that may be more accessible to the community? Could anyone’s garden become a space used by the community? Could it be transformed without being overhauled? Is there a chance that it could be valued for its inherent botanics and manifold miscellaneous floorings? Could anyone’s garden become a garden used: to eat lunch, read papers, and enjoy flora and fauna, as well as contemplate academic conundrums en plein air?
